This invention relates to the stretching and securing of upholstery fabric or the like in place, and finds particular application to the upholstering of a chair.
It is known to stretch fabrics to upholstery operations. Such stretching operations are generally not easily carried out, and it is thus an object of the present invention to provide an upholstering operation which achieves fabric stretching simply, quickly, and with a relatively few parts involved.
Upholstering furniture oftentimes requires special tools, and it is another object of the present invention to obviate the use of such tools.
The present invention finds particular application in the upholstering of a tubular chair. Briefly, the back upholstery for the chair is stretched and secured in place utilizing a pair of bars contained by pockets along opposite edges of the fabric. The bars are articulatedly secured at corresponding ends thereof to the tubular framework, at the top of the back of the chair. At the lower ends of these bars, in the region of the joinder of the chair seat and back, the bars are forced apart through use of a bendable rod which engages the free ends of the bars. As the rod, initially in a bent condition, is straightened, the free ends of the bars are forced apart, thereby stretching the back upholstery fabric. These free bar ends are then secured to the bendable rod, which in turn is secured to the framework of the chair, together with an additional upholstery bar, all of which create a sandwich with fabric held between the bars and rod. This sandwich is concealed by use of a fabric flap that covers the sandwich.
The prior art utilizes bendable members, generally to produce knockdown or folding chairs. Further, fabric stretching in chairs is known, as is the stretching of screening. The prior art does not disclose nor suggest, however, the techniques utilized in the present invention.
Representative patents illustrative of the state of art as described generally above, are as follows:
______________________________________ U.S. Pat. No. Inventor Issue Date ______________________________________ 488,095 Scott & Schaaf 12/13/92 636,671 Kidd & Depue 11/7/99 1,043,444 Lindbeck 11/5/12 1,060,664 Beaudry 5/6/13 1,325,961 Smith 12/33/19 1,400,717 Benson & Bruce 12/10/21 1,445,534 Miller 2/13/23 1,902,335 Moss 3/21/33 3,041,109 Eames et al 6/26/62 3,437,375 Kettler 4/8/69 ______________________________________
The invention will be more completely understood by reference to the following detailed description.